Bateaux-Mouches
Best thing to do in Paris: Seine River cruise with champagne, fine dining, and haute couture views aboard the Bateaux-Mouches
www.bateaux-mouches.fr/en/restaurant
If there were only one experience to choose to grasp the essence of Paris, it would be this one: a dinner cruise on the Seine, at sunset, aboard the mythical Bateaux-Mouches. Between champagne, gastronomy and haute couture panoramas, it is a concentrate of everything the capital has that is most chic and romantic.
For more than 75 years, the Bateaux-Mouches have been part of the living heritage of Paris. These elegant glass-enclosed salons have seen the icons of fashion and cinema parade by: Audrey Hepburn, Cary Grant, Romy Schneider, Empress Farah Diba and the Shah of Iran organized sumptuous receptions there. King Carl XVI Gustaf and Queen Silvia of Sweden celebrated their love there. More recently, Jacquemus filmed a promotional movie there with Lila Moss and Carine Roitfeld, while Emily Ratajkowski and Mick Jagger were spotted enjoying the view over the rooftops of Paris.
And one understands why. From the moment you board at the Pont de l’Alma, the magic happens. The bustle of the city fades away, replaced by the murmur of the Seine and the delicate clinking of champagne glasses. Guests are welcomed with a flute in hand, Paris reflected in every bubble. Designed like a glass case, the boat offers 360° panoramic views of the most beautiful monuments of the capital, with no barrier between the city and your eyes.
An exceptional dinner cruise on the Seine
The dinner cruise aboard the Bateaux-Mouches is a true moment of haute gastronomy. The meal opens with refined starters — citrus and caviar salmon tartare, or foie gras with fig jam — before giving way to the great classics of French cuisine: roasted duck breast, sea bass with lemon butter sauce, tender beef fillet. Each dish is enhanced by a carefully selected food and wine pairing. For dessert, the chocolate fondant, the vanilla mille-feuille or the Paris-Brest, as cheeky as it is typically Parisian, bring an irresistible final touch.
During dinner, a pianist and a violinist perform the great classics of French song — La Vie en Rose, Sous le Ciel de Paris — while, under the glass roof, pass by the lights of the Louvre, the Musée d’Orsay and Notre-Dame. The moment becomes suspended, almost unreal.
The restaurant with the best view of the Eiffel Tower
After dessert, guests go up to the upper deck, open to the sky. The Eiffel Tower lights up just as the boat arrives in front of it, with timing so perfect one could think the captain had a remote control. It is the ideal place to enjoy one last glass of champagne and contemplate Paris in all its golden splendor.
A suspended interlude in the heart of Paris
This is where the true magic of the Bateaux-Mouches lies: in that impression of escaping time. For more than two hours, everything comes down to the lights of Paris, to laughter, to music and to the lapping of the river. When the boat returns to the quay, the enchantment remains: the city seems more beautiful, the night deeper, and everyone leaves with the feeling of having lived a rare moment — an intimate, vibrant, eternal Paris.
Insider tip
For an authentic experience, book directly on the official Bateaux-Mouches website, the true pioneers of Parisian cruises. Choose the Menu Excellence, whose menu is renewed every six months: it guarantees the most sought-after tables, by the window, with an unobstructed view of the Seine and the monuments of Paris.
As an extra touch of luxury, parking is free, and a VTC taxi service is offered on the boat, so that the driver welcomes you as soon as you return to the quay.
Bateaux-Mouches
Port de la conférence 75008 Paris
+33 1 42 25 96 10
https://www.bateaux-mouches.fr/en
